Cyrano de Bergerac (play) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Cyrano de Bergerac |
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Cyrano de Bergerac, the man for whom the play is named and upon whose life it is based
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| Written by | Edmond Rostand |
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| Date of premiere | 1897 |
| Original language | French |
| Genre | Romance |
| Setting | France, 1640 |
Cyrano de Bergerac is a famous play written in 1897 by Edmond Rostand. It tells a fictional story about a real person named Cyrano de Bergerac. The play is known for its exciting sword fights, clever words, and a touching love story. It explores themes of true beauty, self-doubt, and secret love.
This play has been performed all over the world. It even helped make the word "panache" popular in English! "Panache" means having a very confident and stylish way of doing things.
Contents
What is Cyrano de Bergerac?
Cyrano de Bergerac is a play with five acts. It is set in France in the year 1640. The story is about a brave soldier and poet named Cyrano. He is very smart and good with words. He is also a skilled fighter. However, Cyrano has a very large nose. He believes this makes him ugly and unlovable.
The Main Characters
The play has several important characters:
- Cyrano de Bergerac: A brave, witty, and talented soldier and poet. He is the main character.
- Roxane: A beautiful and intelligent woman whom Cyrano secretly loves.
- Christian de Neuvillette: A handsome young soldier who is new to Cyrano's company. He is not very good with words.
- Comte de Guiche: A powerful nobleman who also loves Roxane. He is often seen as the villain.
The Story of the Play
Cyrano is deeply in love with Roxane. But he thinks she could never love him because of his nose. Roxane, however, falls in love with Christian, a handsome new soldier. Christian is good-looking but struggles to express his feelings.
Roxane tells Cyrano that she loves Christian. She asks Cyrano to protect Christian. Cyrano agrees, even though it breaks his heart. He decides to help Christian win Roxane's love.
Cyrano writes beautiful love letters and poems for Christian to send to Roxane. He even whispers romantic words to Christian during a secret meeting with Roxane. Roxane believes these words come from Christian. She falls even more in love with Christian's "soul" and "words."
The story continues with battles and secrets. The truth about who wrote the letters remains hidden for a long time. The play explores how people see beauty and love. It asks if true love is about looks or about what is inside a person.
Why is the Play Famous?
Cyrano de Bergerac is famous for many reasons:
- Its Language: The play is full of clever and poetic language. Cyrano's speeches are very powerful and memorable.
- Its Themes: It explores ideas about inner beauty, self-doubt, and sacrifice. It shows that true love can be complex.
- The Character of Cyrano: Cyrano is a heroic but flawed character. He is brave and loyal, but also insecure. This makes him very relatable.
- Its Action: The play includes exciting sword fights and dramatic moments.
It has been translated into many languages. It has also been adapted into movies, musicals, and even operas.
Images for kids
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The second-to-last scene. First performance of the play. Published in "l'illustration", 8 January 1898
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Benoît-Constant Coquelin created the role of Cyrano de Bergerac (1897)
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Walter Hampden on the cover of Time in 1929, while he was the producer, director, star and theatre manager of a Broadway revival of Cyrano de Bergerac
See also
In Spanish: Cyrano de Bergerac (teatro) para niños
